Superoscillatory behavior in partially coherent fields

Abstract

Superoscillations are oscillations of a wavefield that are locally higher than the bandlimit of the field. Superoscillations have to date been studied primarily in coherent wavefields; here we look at superoscillations that appear in the phase of the correlation function in partially coherent fields. It is shown that a decrease in spatial coherence can in some cases strengthen the superoscillatory behavior, and in others decrease it. Superoscillations are studied in a number of model partially coherent fields, and the influence of coherence on each model is considered.